


A family for Christmas

by SpookyStar29



Category: NCIS
Genre: Christmas, Companionship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Friendship, Future, Hope and faith, Jack and Leon need more scenes, Love, Memories, Other, Sloance, cheesybutheyitschristmastime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:48:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21935494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpookyStar29/pseuds/SpookyStar29
Summary: After Senator Phillips and his son are reunited and the team finally got their Christmas miracle, Jack is invited by Leon and his kids to spend the rest of the evening together.And they talk. A talk about things Jack would never discuss with anyone else. A talk which leads to the answer on Leon’s question why his best friend voluntarily went back to the hell he had once rescued her from …
Relationships: Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane/Leon Vance
Comments: 6
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [literally anyone](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=literally+anyone).



> This may sound like all drama, but it’s actually the cutest thing I have ever written (in my opinion). It’s a Christmas story.  
> Prepare for cheesiness, cuddling, and a lot of hugs.  
> Takes place after Double Down. 
> 
> I came up with this because: 
> 
> 1\. I LOVELOVELOVE Jack and Leon. 
> 
> 2\. Leon being worried about Jack in front of Gibbs was the most precious thing ever and I wanted to use that.
> 
> 3\. The reason why Jack went back? It was the box. And the fact she buried it in Destiny's child in front of (especially Anshiri's) the graves, it means A LOT to her.
> 
> 4\. I couldn’t stand my bae being alone on Christmas and I figured Gibbs and her weren’t that close at that time she would stay with him or with any other of the agents, so I came up with this.

She had secretly been incredibly glad the second their plane had landed on American soil again. After drifting in and out of sleep during the first five hours she had tried to occupy herself with listening to music, but she had felt bored and anxious and not even her favorite singers could change that. And the feeling of being trapped was coming back, too – she felt it in her fingertips, the way she just couldn’t completely relax, and she knew if she wouldn’t get something do to within the next minutes, she’d be a total disaster.  
Luckily, Nick woke up just ten minutes later and was good-natured enough to keep her company. They had talked on their flight to Afghanistan before, using the time to finally get to know each other a little bit better. She had told him about her life before NCIS (at least the normal, boring stuff) and he had done the same.  
On their flight back home Nick suddenly opened his bag and pulled out some playing cards. She could have kissed him in that moment. They figured they both were pretty good at anything which contained cards which had resulted in them playing for the last couple of hours, tricking and mocking each other playfully, each of them winning and losing on almost equal terms. He wasn’t one to let her win just for her gender’s sake, and she appreciated it. A good challenge was always welcomed.  
The experience had brought them closer together in a way she’d never forget. Not only that he had been with her over there, in a country which was filled with memories she’d never get out of her mind ever again, a place where even the smell provoked past imagines.  
She knew he was a guy she could trust and someone who, under his dark, macho-exterior, had a heart of gold. They had protected each other, trusted each other. Nick Torres was a valuable friend, a good co-worker, and a great agent.  
And now she was standing there, in Gibbs’ house, witnessing a wonderful Christmas miracle with an estranged father and son finally reuniting, flanked by Gibbs and Torres, two men she knew she could always count on, she knew she should be happy.  
But … why wasn’t she? She was relieved, true. But happy? No.  
A team. A family.  
They were her team, but she wasn’t part of their family, not yet.  
Christmas was all about family … she wouldn’t fly home, not this year, too late, and she was exhausted, physically and mentally, couldn’t deal with that now.  
And there was this weird feeling – that feeling she hadn’t had before Afghanistan, a feeling she couldn’t describe, not even with psychology-words.  
Feeling lonely in a group of friends. That was what came closest.  
As if something was missing, no matter what she did, where she went. No matter if she spend time with friends, in cozy hours with family or had heartfelt conversations with mostly McGee or Bishop. Something wasn’t there.  
HER team. HER family.  
Her non-biological brothers she couldn’t protect.  
The two Phillips stayed with Gibbs for a while, Torres joined them. Chandler wanted to know about everything that happened, and she saw it in Nick’s eyes that he was more than happy to tell the story – probably a little over exaggerated, just like he was, but he deserved it. Without him, they wouldn’t have made it.  
Gibbs asked her if she wanted to stay, too. Have a bear or coffee. Or two. Or three.  
She shook her head. Not today, not when old wounds had been painfully opened again, even if it was her own fault, even though she had prepared herself for it.  
She hadn’t expected it to hit her that hard. But the moment the door of her apartment fell close behind her, the first time everything around her falling into pure dead silence, she felt tears sting in her eyes.  
Nick and her had both stopped at their homes shortly before accompanying the senator to Gibbs’. But that had been filled with hurry, not having time to think, just throwing stuff into the washing machine, changing shoes and brushing through her hair, trying to not look as crappy as she felt after an over ten-hours flight.  
But now, everything was over. The Senator was home, Chandler was out of danger, they finally talked, Gibbs was happy, Torres was bragging about them handling Talibans.  
And she … she broke down.  
As she took out the box, that secret treasure she would murder for if ANYONE would ever just touch it without her permission, her knees were trembling.  
The tears came and they didn’t stop flowing, but she didn’t care.  
I brought you home, her inner voice whispered, silently sending the words to her three, deceased friends. You’re back home, brothers. You’re with me, and I will never let you go.  
She went for a shower straight afterwards, signing in contentment as the hot water ran over her body.  
Coffee and water. Two things that made everything better. And sugar in her coffee. 

***

Just seconds after she had blow-dried her hair and slipped on her bathrobe, someone knocked at her door. She frowned. Who came by at hers at eight o’clock in the evening on 23rd December?  
Tightening the belt on her robe she strolled through her apartment, unlocked the door, opened it – and stood in amazement.  
“Leon? What are you doing here?” Her friend had his hands in his pockets, scarf still on, smiling at her in this warm, friendly way.  
“Hi Jack. Just … wanted to know if you’re okay.”  
Smirking, she leaned against the doorframe. “You know there’s something which is called “a phone”. You didn’t have to drive here on pre-Christmas-day just to ask me that.”  
His smile turned into a smirk. “I wanted to see for myself. But …” He stopped and chuckled as he looked her over. “Sorry, is this a bad timing?”  
She laughed. “No, not at all. Just finished my shower.” She pointed over her shoulder. “Wanna come in for a second?”  
“Actually ...” Leon started teetering on his feet. “I came her to ask you if you want to spent the evening with me. Us, actually. The kids miss you.”  
His invitation made her heart melt and she felt emotions dwelling up back inside of her. “Aww. Leon, that’s so sweet.”  
“And I miss you too, just to clarify. Just thought I could bribe you a little with involving them.”  
She laughed whole heartedly, the way only he could.  
“No need to bribe me with anything.” She looked him deep into the eyes. “I would love to.”  
To anyone who didn’t know what had happened between them, what they were, what they had been through, it would have very likely seemed as if they were flirting. But this, what they had, this wasn’t a normal friendship. He had seen her in her underwear, for god’s sake. He had held her while she was covered in just a bathing towel after she had almost fainted in his bathroom after PTSD had returned without any warning. He had taken care of her wounds, they only person apart from a doctor she ever allowed to. No boyfriend, no lover, no one else she had granted that. If that wasn’t the norm between a woman and a man’s friendship, what else would? Everything between them wasn’t quiet “normal” so why should their exchanged looks be?  
She loved him, he loved her. In a way neither friends nor lovers could describe.  
He smiled. “Great. Just …” He gave her another once over. “You should probably change into something a little more appropriate.” She gasped and playfully slapped against his arm. “No way, I was thinking of just leaving like this and stealing some clothes of yours back home.” She turned on her heel and gestured him to come in, which she knew was unnecessary since he’d do it anyways.  
“It wouldn’t be the first time”, he called after her, laughing. She smiled while she got rid of her robe and changing into something to wear. True, she had been stealing some of his shirts in the past, since they were comfy and hadn’t hurt that much on her scars like her own clothes. There were probably still one or two left within her own clothes … not that she would tell him. She had always been a “men’s clothes’ robber” and she’d probably go on with doing that forever.  
Sometimes she still thought about Jackie and thanked her for her trust in not only her husband’s love and loyalty, but because of the fact she had let the woman her husband had saved stay in her house for a whole three weeks. Jackie and her had grown into friends, Kayla and Jared had become her unwritten niece and nephew, and overall she had slowly but steadily molded into their family.  
And then Jackie was killed and the first person the kids called for help was her. They were the ones who wanted her to look out for Leon.  
She had taken the next flight from San Diego to Washington. Now it was her time to save him – in another way, but not exactly less significant.  
As Jack pulled on her favorite black shirt and grabbed her necklace, she wondered if she or Leon would ever tell their new colleagues what bonded them. What had happened. Nick had asked her, of course, and she had told him she just wanted to help and be off service, told him Leon had wanted her to.  
She wondered if Gibbs would have let her go if he knew. Or if he would have forbid it just like Leon had.  
Probably … but she’d never know. She had followed her heart, and it had let her to the right outcome. She had brought them home. Their brothers.  
She placed her hand on the cross dangling on the golden chain, closing her eyes for a second.  
One day, she thought. One day I’ll tell them. 

…

Leon had barely gotten to be the gentleman he was and free her from her jacket as Kayla and Jared already came running down the stairs. “Jack, you’re here!” Kayla was the first to hug her, shortly followed by Jared who, unlikely to other boys, threw his arms around her for a real hug too, which she appreciated.  
“So good to see you both”, she said, feeling her cheeks already hurt from smiling so much. It was a GREAT feeling, actually.  
“Dad told us what happened.” Kayla squeezed her hand nodded proudly. “Glad you and Torres got him save back home.”  
Jack smiled. “That’s what we do. No one gets left behind.”  
For a moment, she felt a claw of steal getting a grip on her heart, trying to pull her back into the darkness of grieve and despair, but no – not tonight. Not now. She wouldn’t let that happen.  
“I just checked the oven, dad. Pizza will be ready in about three minutes”, Jared’s voice brought her back and she chuckled at her friend. “Pizza? You’re making pizza on 23rd December and lay the table as if it were the biggest meal one could ever prepare? Really?”  
He shrugged. “Why not.”  
Jared eyed her suspiciously. “Since when do you have something against pizza?”  
She roled her eyes in pleasure. “Oh, nothing at all. I LOVE that Christmas tradition.”  
“See!” Jared grinned. “That’s why you’re the coolest adult in the world.”  
“Hey!”, Leon exclaimed. “And what about me?”  
“You’re our dad”, Kayla called over her shoulder. “Dad’s are never as cool as aunts!”  
Laughing, they went back to the kitchen, leaving her chuckling and Leon signing.  
She made herself comfortable on the couch with using all the pillows and draping them around her while he brought two glasses and both of their favorite whiskey. Judging by their drinking habits, they could be siblings, twins in soul actually. Kayla and Jared had disappeared to their rooms, leaving them alone. The smell of needles still was in the air, she was sure it came from the Christmas tree, and it just added to the comfortable, cozy atmosphere in a perfect way.   
They chatted for a while, sipping at their whiskey, enjoying the silence, until one of them started a topic again. That’s what it always was – easy, relaxed, unguarded.  
With him she could be herself, completely herself.  
And because she was, because he knew her better than anyone else, he saw it.  
“There it is.” His voice was soft and warm, full of sympathy. She tried to smile but knew she was failing. She had been all cheered up during dinner and later on the movie, but now since silence was settling in …  
“What?”, she asked even though she already knew it.  
“That look. That look you get whenever something’s bugging you.” He placed the glass down and turned so he was facing her.  
She didn’t say anything, couldn’t find the right words.  
“It’s about Afghanistan, right?”  
She shrugged. “It’s the same with smells. Memories and feelings are linked with it. People can remember certain things better if there’s a special smell clinging to it, just as places are helpful …” She signed. “I knew it would open wounds. I knew it and nevertheless, I did it.”  
“Why, Jack?” The tone in his voice caused her to look up. His dark eyes were in deep concern. Oh, she knew what was coming at her. “You know, I was worried. Not because I doubted you, don’t get me wrong, just …”  
“I get it, Leon.” She smiled at him and took his hand. “I get it.”  
His lips twisted into a smile but faded just seconds after. “But why did you do it? And don’t tell me it was a reason to “conquer your fears” or whatever that mechanism to curb down mental issues is called.”  
She wished she were in the mood of throwing loanwords at him, but she couldn’t get herself to. She shook her head. “That wasn’t the reason.”  
Now, Leon fell silent. She knew this was the kind of silence, the kind of look he gave her where he wouldn’t move or say another word until she got it out. Until SHE made the move.  
She straightened her back. “I left something there. Something … I needed to take home with. Since …” She swallowed. “Since I only their bodies made it home.”  
“So you remember something which reminded you of them?”, he asked tentatively. There was always this incredible gentleness in his voice whenever they talked about Afghanistan, or the Wingos, or whatever single thing linked to it. A gentleness which wasn’t rich with pity but sympathy. Because pity sucked. Gandhi had been right with his sayings.  
She nodded. “I did.”  
Silence, again. Leon was waiting. She was collecting herself.  
“The box was Anshiri’s. We decided to scratch out names on it and we thought … if none of us would make it, at least there were something of us left behind. Not to give back to our families, but for ourselves. As a rememberence. Something just for us four, something only we could understand. He left it at the camp, that’s why it was still there when we returned.”  
She saw Leon’s face lit up. “That’s why you wanted to go back there so desperately.”  
“And why I didn’t want anyone else to accompany me.” Jack nodded, glad for her friend’s understanding.  
“So it was only me. We had planned to bury it right under our name on that wall at the camp, and I did. I just …” She bit her lip, felt the piercing pain stab her heart. “I just didn’t imagine being alone while doing it.”  
She took a deep breath and went on. “Somehow we knew they’d take our uniforms. That’s why we cut off our name padges and the Wingos’ one’s.”  
His eyebrow lifted. “How did you do that? You can’t just rip them off.”  
The memory actually brought up a smirk on her lips. “Funny. We just asked for a knife. And somehow, I still wonder why, they gave one to us.”  
Leon’s face grew even more addled, an expression that made her laugh. “Apparently that guy wasn’t so clever as the others.”  
“Apparently”, Leon said, emptying the glass.  
“You wanna show it to me?”, he asked her after she had stopped talking along time.  
She lifted her eyebrow. “What makes you think I took them with me?”  
He gave her the LOOK. The look which showed he had uncovered her. “I know you, Jack. When there’s something important for you, you don’t just place it somewhere. Especially since you travelled on the other side of the world for it. And I would bet my status as director that you got it in that bag of yours over there.” He nodded over her shoulder.  
She signed but couldn’t help the smile. “You really know me better than I do myself.”  
Using his knee to push herself up from the couch she plodded to her bag, opened it.  
Her hands shivered as she touched the cool steel of the box, watching as the light danced on its surface, almost golden. Jack pressed her lips together, forcing herself to not start crying again, and made her way back to Leon. He had his arm draped on the back of the couch, waiting for her patiently. While she settled in place, one leg curled under the other, she grabbed the meaningful thing with both hands, clung onto it like it were her lifeline.  
The years had carved the material and left their marks on it, but their names and the numbers were still well to read, untouched. As if nothing, no stone, no sand, no weather condition, nothing could ever wipe them out.  
And she knew it was true. Memories faded, some of them.  
Safwan Anshiri, Ray Hale and Samuel King weren’t just memories. They were souls, forever attached to her heart. And souls … souls never vanished. They didn’t leave, they would conquered time and space.  
Love never died.  
And they had loved each other, in a way soldiers did, brothers and sister who had fought together for their county and for their lives.  
Then, finally, as she was ready, she used her thumb to open the lid.  
She had done it before – right after she had dug it up, then later in the taxi back home.  
Her vision became blurry and she knew if she kept on staring at them, she’d be a puddle on the floor within seconds. So she did what her heart had probably decided to do the second she had put it in her bag as she followed Leon out of her door.  
She WANTED him to know.  
That’s why she handed it to him, because she knew he’d appreciate it, would know what this moment meant to her.  
The way he took out the badges and stroke along the black capital letters as if sending his honor to them made her smile even though her tears were threatening to burst out every moment.  
“I actually thought about tattooing their numbers. Or their initials. Right under the scars. Or on my left ribs, near the heart.” Her voice was hoarse and she wondered how she even had gotten those words out.  
“Could always ask Abby. I guess she knows some good ones.”  
She stared at him, blinking. She hadn’t expected that reaction at all. Usually people were against tattooes, telling their friends they should really, really think about it and …  
“In case you need someone to hold your hand while you get it done, tell me.”  
And that was what made her cry. That was the last piece she needed for her wall to crumble. Leon reached around her and pulled her close, she buried her face on his chest, clinging on to him. He always found the right words, and he always knew what to do.  
This was HER Christmas miracle. Her second family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was Jack's POV. Leon's is following. 
> 
> Would appreciate you leaving some comments :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sentence “love never died” (originally “dies”) I stole from Maria’s recent post on Instagram and I thought it fit so well in this story.  
> The “they are not memories, they are souls ingrained in her heart” I kind of projected to myself. I had an uncle I never met, who died at an early age. I have no memories of him because he left this world years before I was born.  
> But, just as Maria says “our souls are connected and they would continue to be connected even in his passing”. I have a connection to him, a connection I cant describe. Sometimes I just think of him. Sometimes I start crying without any reason. And sometimes I feel his presence. His SOUL. Because his soul and mine, and I believe in that, just like Maria does, are connected.  
> Because we were family. And family is love. And LOVE NEVER DIES.

He had continued to hold her even after her cries subsided. He went on with looking at that treasure it was for her, feeling an incredible pride dwelling up. Once, because she showed them to him, and second, because of her brave and loyal spirit.  
He wished he could have met them. Met those men Jack had bonded with so strong, wished he could have saved them, too. But that hadnt been in his hands, apparently. His task had been to safe her – so that she could tell the Wingo’s story. 

A while later after the fire had almost gone out and he had put the badges back into the box, he nudged her shoulder. She didn’t answer.  
“Jack?”  
He chuckled as he realized she had fallen asleep. She always looked so peaceful during her sleep, and it was almost heartwrenching to wake her up, but he had to.  
“Hey.” He lightly tapped her cheek. Jack stirred and blinked, then jawned. “Oh shit, sorry”, she mumbled. “That must be the flight’s aftermaths."  
He smirked. “It’s almost midnight, no reason to not be tired.”  
She wiped her eyes and sat up straight while circling her head.  
“What do you think. Wanna stay?”  
She stopped and looked at him. “But it’s Christmas eve tomorrow”, she wondered.  
He shrugged. “That’s the thing.”  
Jack stared at him. Then blinked. And he laughed. She was so adorable whenever she was confused. “Oh come on. Think.”  
Another bat with her lashes. “You … you want me to spend Christmas with you?”  
He shrugged as if it weren’t a big deal. Which it was. And he wondered why they had NEVER done this ever before. She had often visited them around Christmas, spent some New Years Eve with them, but never Christmas eve.  
“About time, whatcha think?”  
She stared at him and he saw her resolve break. Her eyes turned into pools of sparkeling tears, but this time he knew it was because of emotion and happiness.  
Then she slammed her hand against his chest and snuggled into his shoulder, sniffing. “Thank you, ass. You made me cry, again.”  
He laughed and rubbed her back. “You’re welcome, headpeeper.”  
She buried her face at his shoulder for a second, then looked up again, tears still in her eyes, but a content, happy smile on her face. “I love you, you know?” She pressed a kiss to his cheek. His smile only grew wider. Oh, how he loved to surprise her and make her happy. “Thank you. So much.” She tilted her head. “I just hope K and J are okay with it?”  
“Of course. Wouldn’t propose something like that without their adhesion.”  
“It wouldn’t have been a problem at all, even if you wouldn’t have asked.” The boy’s name let them both jolt and they turned their heads.  
“How long have you two been standing there?”, he asked them, the boy in trunks and Kayla in Jeans, grinning like Christmas elves.  
“Oh, not long”, Kayla smiled. “Long enough to tell you, Jack, that we are always okay with you being here.”  
“You’re family, you know.”  
He loved his kids. And like every father, he was proud of them and the people they had become. But at this moment he was so touched he couldn’t say a word. And he had never been more proud of them.  
Apparently it had the same effect – and a lot stronger – on Jack. She made that cute, adorable puppy face no one else could pull off.  
“What is it about you that all of you make me cry?”  
Now it was Kayla’s and Jared’s time to laugh. Leon just sat and smiled.  
This was going to be the best Christmas in years, he already knew that for sure.  
Jack got up – or more like jumped – and strolled towards them to pull both of them in a hug. “You’re the greatest kids in the world, you know that?”  
“We’re not kids”, Jared grinned as they pulled apart again. “Teens.” Jack squeezed his shoulder and pressed a kiss to his forehead, only to provoke him just a little more. Then she raised an eyebrow at both of them. “Why do you look like you’re going out?”  
“Because we are.” Jared said and made his way to the door. Jack blinked in confusion, giving first Kayla a look, then him. He smiled and got up. “That’s Christmas tradition. We always stay up until midnight, go outside and light a candle.”  
As if they had practiced it, Kayla handed Jack one. “To welcome Christmas. Was mum’s idea, and we do it every year since.” For a split second his daughter’s face went from cheer- to thoughtful, but it wasn’t that horrible, bottomless pain he himself had so often fallen into. It was sad but gentle remembrance.  
“And we need to get out now!”, Jared called through the silence, already pulling on his boots. So Leon got up, grabbed the two glasses and headed for the kitchen to store them in the dishwasher. Jack was shortly after him, placing the bottle back. The look she gave him contained more than words could ever expressed. Arm in arm, they joined the kids and wrapped themselves in warm clothes. Jared was the first to open the door and Kayla quickly stole his place as she wrapped her hand around Jack’s arm and guided her outside.  
“It’s actually for the people we’ve lost, or people we miss and who can’t be here with us. To … welcome them home.”  
Jack’s eyes glimmered. “Is this why you invited me today and not for tomorrow?”  
He saw his daughter’s sparkle. “Yes”, she said. “That too.”  
Jack closed her eyes for a moment before leaning her head against Kayla’s. “Thank you for making me have a part in this.”  
Jared from his other side smiled at her. “Sure, Jack.”  
And he was smiling wide, proved again by the amazing beings his kids had grown into.  
They always lit the candles a minute before the clock struck 12.  
At midnight, he send a greet to his wife, first. He just knew Jackie was with them. She would always be with them. He imagined her smiling down at them, waving. And he imagined giving her a kiss.  
He thought of his dad who had passed years ago, taken by cancer.  
He send a prayer to his fallen fellow soldiers, knowing Jack was thinking about hers, too.  
They had both lost a lot, but also gained so much.  
Every ending was a beginning.  
They placed the candles into the snow, just as they always did, and stepped back, leaving them to burn as long as they were supposed to. He caught Jack staring at the flame of her own one, inhaling and slowly exhaling so a cloud of breath formed in front of her.  
Then they turned their heads up to the stars – and just a minute later, a shooting star travelled through the sky. Leon found himself smiling and not only Jack who was standing shoulder on shoulder next to him was the reason his heart became enveloped with warmth.  
Suddenly, Jared started singing.  
“One dark night  
Something said, "Follow the light"  
So you …”  
“Oh stop it, you’re destroying the holy Mariah Carey energy!”, Kayla interupted which made Jack snort with laughter.  
“… so you look up and see the word …”, Jared sang even louder, mocking his sister who took a step forward to dive her hand right into the snow.  
His son’s eyes went wide. “That's written upon the sky …” His singing turned into a squeal as Kayla hit him with a snowball and quickly ran back into the house, Kayla following him.  
“Shoes off!”, Leon called back at them. Again, he could see Jack smile, and if it were just for that, just to make her better, he would allow his kids to make messes and do stuff they usually weren’t allowed just to bug him, screw it, he’d let it slide just for her.  
“Follow that star above you  
Should the world try to break you down  
There is one who waits for you  
Though you can't see him now”  
He had stilled the moment he made out the first line. He had no idea she could sing, but that wasn’t what amazed him. It was the strength in her voice, even though she was almost whispering, the hope and faith transported. The FEELING.  
The spirit of Christmas. The spirit of love and new beginnings. And the way that song fit to her just perfectly, in every sense of the word.  
“Thunder and rain surrounds you  
But his love's just a breath away”  
Now it was her time to turn her head towards him, and she smirked at him as he smiled, understand what she meant.  
“If you follow your heart, follow the light  
Follow that star  
Follow your heart, it's Christmas”  
They both ended together. Jack gasped and stared at him in baffledness.  
“You know the lyrics?”, she asked.  
“Kayla’s a huge Mariah Carey fan. We get with it droned every single year, so getting to know the lyrics is inevitable.”  
“Oh, you poor guy”, Jack mocked him smiling.  
It was cold outside, freezing, but not even Jack who was everything but a winterperson seemed to mind. And he knew why, because he felt it, too. The warmth in their hearts couldn’t be oppressed by the weather, never, and it was stronger than anything else.  
Their friendship was strong enough to conquer the darkest hours. Leon reached out and put his arm around her. Jack, in return, came closer and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Merry Christmas, Leon", she whispered. He smiled. "Merry Christmas, Jack."  
They both shared a smile. Finally, there was that spark again, that oh-so-typical Jack Sloane spark in her brown eyes. They were here, together. A Miracle. Their friendship based on a miracle. Their friendship which had turned into family, and everyone was good with it. Kayla, Jared, Jack, him. Maybe they WERE some kind of patchwork-family-sort of thing. A very weird one.  
But it was functional, based on trust and love and friendship.  
And that was what family was about. That was what Christmas was about.  
Love, friendship, and family. And he knew he had found all of this in Jack. The woman he had saved – and the woman who had saved him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas to you all, where ever you live, I wish you all the best from the deepest bottom of my heart.  
> I thank you all for being this community – that we can built each other up with just small, little words and can make a person’s life better just because one posted a chapter, to bring a smile on their faces.  
> Christmas is the holiday of love, and love comes in many forms. Sometimes it comes in Fanfictions 
> 
> And I hope that wheverever you are you’re with your loved ones now, or even if you aren’t, cause of any reason, remember love is without borders. Thought’s matter. The people we love and the people who love us are always with us, no matter what. 
> 
> Have a wonderful time, you all.  
> Sending love and hugs to you.


End file.
